


The Light in Your Eyes

by chldys



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Bad Boy Lee Jeno, Bonfire Night, Fireworks, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Nostalgia, Renjun comforts them, Sweet Na Jaemin, except he isn’t because Nana would never let him be one, he loves nana so much, jeno looks back on their relationship, markhyuck are away doing markhyuck things, nomin, past angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 06:22:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16592507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chldys/pseuds/chldys
Summary: If it was his decision, Jeno wouldn't be standing out in the cold just to watch pathetic fireworks explode in the sky, but it wasn't his decision and Jaemin couldn't be more excited to enjoy the festivities, together.alternatively:Jeno is sour most times but Jaemin always puts a smile on his face if they're together.





	The Light in Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leejenope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leejenope/gifts).



> I wrote this for my friend because I was in a soft mood and eventually decided to share it here as well. I hope you like it!

He didn’t really want to be here.

Jeno knew that sure enough. Maybe if it was still summer and the wind didn’t bite at his nose so harshly or nip at his ankles when his plaid trouser leg rose up as he walked, he wouldn’t have minded so much. But it wasn’t summer. Far from it actually, yet here he was in the middle of a downtrodden, muddy field, freezing his ass off only to wait for big bangs of light to appear in the sky. 

Deep down, he knew it was meant to be romantic. The muddy field (“it’s a park Jeno, a nice one too.”) was set up as more of a market place plus fairground. Makeshift stalls had been made out of spare firewood that was donated for the annual bonfire. Thrifted yarn hung between each one too, with paper lanterns hanging in rows, swaying blissfully in the wind, making shadows dance around in the open night. Though in his pessimistic mind, Jeno only saw the mouldy green splotches lying distastefully along the clearly aged wood and how the more damaged the stall seemed to be, the higher their prices where.

“Baby please when else are we going to be able to buy shitty candy floss that kind of tastes like the soap they flavour to make kids wash their hands. And only for £4! That's a bargain if you ask me~” 

Na Jaemin may have been a little more ecstatic, and that’s an understatement. He barely got any sleep last night, tossing and turning every time he thought about everything there would be at the fair. He already planned out his dream outing, and even if Jeno had to do all the hard work (and dish out the hard earned cash too), he wasn’t going to leave without at least 2 stuffed bears from the shooting game. Of course when he shared his master plan with his boyfriend, who was lying beside him trying to catch as much sleep as possible, all he got was an earful of groans telling him to shut up and “please try to sleep Nana, you need it love.” He had eventually complied and snuggled down into Jeno’s chest, but damn, he could not wait to hook all the ducks. 

So that’s why Jeno was currently shivering in his boots, trying to convince jaemin that they really could get candy floss anytime of the year, and it would be a lot cheaper too so they could even buy multiple bags and binge eat it in the warmth of their own apartment. Yet somehow, five minutes later, they’re walking again- jaemin using one hand to pull Jeno along and the other to grab candy floss out the bag (that Jeno was of course holding) and stuffing it into his sugar coated mouth.

Jeno would be lying if he said that he wasn’t completely whipped for Na Jaemin at this point.

Jeno had met Jaemin as a young angsty tween, determined to scare everyone off with a “dark” glare and unapologetic attitude. When in reality, the boy looked softer than a marshmallow. He couldn’t help how his eyes turned upwards into crescents whenever someone made him smile and his laugh made even the brightest day seem dull in comparison. Little baby curls sat at the base of his raven hair- and no matter how hot the straighteners he used were- they always ended up bouncing back. On the days that jaemin picked on him for it, his cute nose would scrunch up in fake annoyance and jaemin was left devastated because all he wanted to do was boop and maybe smooch it. To sum it up, Jaemin had cracked the hard shell that Jeno was trying to build up and found out that the boy, though still a bit salty, was actually an egg. A soft, beautiful, amusing egg, who made him feel warm and loved no matter the season.

“The lights are really pretty aren’t they Jeno?”Jaemin asked as he clung onto his boyfriends waist, leading to a scowl from the boy, who pulled away with a little yelp. “Your hands are fucking freezing Nana! Why didn’t you bring gloves?” He tutted towards him before coming back to put one of Jaemin’s hands into his coat pocket. “Because silly...” Jaemin leaned in teasingly, giving him a wide smile, “I knew I’d have a hot boyfriend to keep me warm.” If Jaemin winked after he said it, Jeno wouldn’t know anyways as he turned his head down to the floor; a soft dusty blush cascading across his cheeks delicately. He would tell you that it was just because of the cold.

Jaemin simply laughed, leaning his head towards Jeno's neck and beamed a grin up towards him. 

The night grew louder as the sky dimmed slowly to black. Sparks flitted towards the sky as children and adults alike ran around happily waving sparklers in the air. The atmosphere became lighthearted and bright, and the fluorescent glow of the carnival rides illuminated the boys’ silhouettes. 

The fair was in full swing.

Looking around at the multitude of rides, Jeno began to feel genuinely ok. Sure, he had been dreading it a little at first, but now he had a happy, snuggly boyfriend on his arm and his stomach began to warm up from the coffee he had chugged before leaving the apartment. The bumper cars looked kind of fun, if not too intense, as shrieks echoed out from the small track of people bashing into each other. To the right of them, a large spinning dome was constructed, flinging people around at 100 miles per hour, which Jeno felt entirely sick just by looking at, so he turned away to look at the boy next to him instead; who was looking joyfully up straight ahead of them. He followed Jaemin’s line of sight and saw that the large Ferris Wheel had finally started rolling into motion. He really couldn’t help the fond look he gave to his boyfriend, whose eyes were lit up with excitement. Without a word, he tugged his boyfriends (cold) hand towards the ride and payed for two tickets.

“You’re... really going to come on with me?” Jaemin looked softly at Jeno and brought a hand up to his cold-flushed cheek. He knew Jeno was secretly afraid of heights, he even clung onto him at the top of escalators for god's sake. So this seemingly little act of kindness, actually meant a lot more to Jaemin than anyone would realise it did.

When they had first started dating, Jaemin received more than just one sceptical comment on why he chose Jeno, the boy who seemed the complete opposite to him, as his boyfriend. That was the point though. Jeno was completely different and it made it so much more thrilling. If he couldn’t think of a way out of an issue, Jeno could always come up with a solution that he would have never thought of. If he was bored and had no fun ideas for a date, Jeno would suggest something inventive that was never a let down. Their minds worked in different directions, but they worked together, and it made Jaemin fall in love that much more.

Sometimes it was tough, on the very rare occasions they had a domestic spat (which led to both Jeno and Jaemin crying on Renjun’s sofa on alternate days) their minds being completely different seemed to be a sudden downside to their relationship, even though it was their whole dynamic. When jaemin really just wanted a simple kiss and make up, Jeno wanted a full in depth discussion and to apologise. Both where too stubborn at times to give into the other, but in the end it was usually Jeno who finally grabbed Jaemin and shook sense into him.

One time last summer, they had the biggest fight in their entire 7 years of knowing each other. Neither of them could remember what it was about now, but at the time the world came crashing down around them. Jeno screamed, which he never did, directly at Jaemin, and Jaemin viciously screamed right back at him before grabbing his coat and running out the front door. He’d only gone to Chenle and Jisung’s apartment- which couldn’t have been more than a 15 minute walk- but it was 1am, dark and Jaemin hadn’t even thought about taking his phone with him as he stormed out. This meant Jeno panicked on the sofa all through the morning, not catching a wink of sleep, over the love of his life potentially being gone forever. It wasn’t until 10am, when a grouchy Jisung called their home phone and asked him to come get Jaemin before he rotted their throw pillows with tears, that he could finally breathe with ease again. Jisung said he would have called sooner, but Jaemin had basically begged him not to call Jeno because he felt so ashamed of what he’d said. He never meant any of the harsh words he spat at him, none of it was true. Jeno felt the same too, so he left to get Jaemin, scooped him off the couch; drove him home and apologised profusely. Jaemin didn’t care about that though, he just wanted to snuggle so far into his boyfriend that he almost became him, and so he did. 

Another occasion was when Jaemin had hurt his back. They both didn’t want to acknowledge how bad it really was, but it was bad. The possibility of Jaemin ending up in a wheelchair wasn’t out of the question and it hurt Jeno more to see how much he struggled in day to day life. Being alone was tough for him too. Without his boyfriend with him, everything seemed quiet and dull. Their apartment was continuously silent besides the static buzz of the TV. When he eventually willed himself to go to sleep, the bed felt empty like a gaping hole had opened up next to him where jaemin should have been.

If he wasn’t as strong willed, he may have let himself walk around as a hollow shell and block everything out of his life, leaving him alone with only his distress. He hadn’t spent a day without jaemin in 5 years, and the pain and guilt eating away at his chest left him feeling weak and helpless. But he had to be there for his boyfriend. He made a promise to himself that no matter what, he’d stay happy and healthy for jaemins benefit. 

Even if it meant dragging himself out a cold bed every morning as soon as visiting hours were open to see him. 

Whatever Jaemin wanted, no matter how expensive or rare, he’d bring. the hospital was friendly enough, but quite bare, so Jeno brought card games and fluffy blankets for Jaemin, alongside all his favourite flowers each week to add colour to the linoleum walls.

It was the hardest when Jaemin had breakdowns over his condition. Especially in the middle stage, when Jaemin wasn’t bed ridden anymore, but still couldn’t do a lot without being in pain. If he got into a state, he’d sob out his whole chest; repeating the same thing over and over like a mantra:

“Jeno! i’m not good enough for you anymore!” 

Just because he took a little longer getting down the stairs everyday or he couldn’t go on their weekly date nights, Jaemin began to doubt whether Jeno wanted him anymore. Jeno was so perfect, soft and kind, there was no reason for him to put his life on hold just to help jaemin out of bed in the morning. Without question, there was someone better out there for him. Someone who could keep up with him. They used to be out every night, making 3am convenience store runs a common occurrence when Jaemin really wanted sour cream and onion pringles. There was a mountain trail an hour away from the apartment where they would jog on warm summer days; the sun beaming down on them- out of breath and full of happiness; but after the accident, they hadn’t even been once. Jaemin could not restrain his adventurous life just to make him take care of him. 

However what he couldn’t seem to realise, was that the main reason Jeno enjoyed it so much was because the light of his life was always right beside him. 

It took a lot of time and care, but Jeno finally convinced Jaemin that he didn’t even want to exist without him, and everything he did for him he wanted to do. Jaemin eventually became well enough to go out again, and the fear and pain left them both. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you. you stayed even though you didn’t need to. i’m sorry, thank you, thank you” 

“No Nana, you did it. You are so strong.” 

That’s why jaemin didn’t care when people questioned their relationship. People never saw it, really. How Jeno was always the bigger person, and how he had to put up with Jaemin’s stubbornness more than anyone else, yet somehow, he loved him so deeply that Jaemin never felt cold or alone. Jeno was everything to him. Still is everything to him.<

“Of course I am, we’ll be fine, there’s multiple barriers so I‘m not gonna freak out about falling out” Jeno scoffed lightly with an air of (fake) confidence. Jaemin just shot him a small smug look, and followed him into the slightly rickety white cart.

It rose up into the night sky slowly. From up here, all the bright lights blended together smoothly and radiated across the entire field, replacing the muddy grass with a sea of green. The pop music blasted off the large speakers became muffled too; the most prominent sound being the soothing tip tap of the light rain drops dripping down onto the roof of the cart. It was quiet, and Jeno sat closer to Jaemin. He always loved the rain. One of his favourite memories of the boy sat next to him was a day in autumn.

He was leaving his university lecture to go back to his student dorm, when he suddenly was caught in a flash storm. Frantically looking for anything to hide under, he ended up below an old, unused bus stop, but no matter how he stood, one of his broad shoulders always peaked out and became wet. He must have stood there struggling with his shoulders for 10 minutes before he gave up and sat down on his bag, pouting. All he wanted was to get into sweatpants and cuddle under a duvet with Jaemin. He missed the boy, and that just made him pout more. 

“Don’t look so depressed. It’s not like you died or anything.” Before he could look up there was a towel around his head, falling front of his eyes. He pushed it up and smiled widely when he saw his Nana holding a large umbrella over them; sheltering them from the rain completely. 

When the storm had began Jaemin had also ran. He took one look outside the window and left his cocoon of blankets to go rescue his boyfriend. He knew Jeno must have been caught in the rain and wanted to make sure he didn’t come back soaking, looking like a drowned cat. They’d gone back together, Jeno made an attempt to get dry, and went to get into that blanket cocoon. Jeno may have been more wet then necessary, but he made sure Jaemin was completely under the umbrella, letting his shoulder stick out into the downpour. 

Jeno smiled fondly at the memory and looked at Jaemin instead of outside the window. “Jeno, you know you’re supposed to be looking at the beautiful view right?” Jeno quirked an eyebrow “...And who says I’m not?” 

If Jaemin had been Jeno, he would have flushed a baby pink, looked down shyly and mumbled something incoherent. But he wasn’t Lee Jeno. He was Na Jaemin, he could handle a flirtatious atmosphere just as well as he could turn it into a teasing one. “Ok sure baby, just look at me, fall into my eyes so you can stop thinking about falling out this cart” He couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him as Jeno furrowed his brows and pouted. “I told you already, I’m not scared! This one is safe.” Just as he finished speaking, the ride jolted. Maybe the operator had accidentally pushed the joystick a little too far forward, or maybe the wind picked up, either way the cart shook harshly and Jeno may have whimpered slightly as he moved to cling onto Jaemin’s arm. “It’s ok. I know you’re scared. I’ll protect you this time, since you always protect me” Jaemin spoke softly into Jeno’s dark hair, which was now all he could see of the boy, who had stuffed his head into Jaemin's collarbone. “Jaemin I…” “It’s ok, i know. i do too.”

Time ticked by slowly for the boys, even if it had only been twenty minutes. They sat together, cuddled in their own world; sharing smiles and a few kisses too, so when the ride finally came to the ground, they didn’t notice. 

Jeno jumped out of Jaemin’s embrace as the operator of the ride knocked on the glass, asking them to get out. Jeno only flushed and nodded his head before escaping the cart as quickly as possible, leaving Jaemin, who was unaffected by the situation, to catch up with him. 

“Baby, I think the fireworks are gonna start soon. How about we find a nice, quiet spot to watch them?” Jaemin hooked his head over Jeno’s shoulder and blew onto his cheek. Jeno swatted him away slightly as the breath made his cheek tickle but laughed and agreed with him.

They began to make their way up to a higher hill that overlooked the rest of the field. A large oak tree lent over the peak of the hilltop, covering the ground from the rain, leaving a soft and dry place for them to sit. The rain had finally stopped though, the sky clearing completely, even stars dotted around sparkling gently. 

“this is quite cliche isn’t it” Jaemin spoke softly, picking a small flower out the ground and placing it behind Jeno’s ear gently. 

“maybe...but it’s worth it” Jeno slipped his fingers in between the others, retaining a flinch as the cold passed into his own.

“Fuck you’re still so freezing. Come here.”Jeno pulled Jaemin into his lap with ease and pressed his warm gloved hands against his cheeks. "But I was right though wasn’t I?” Jeno looked up to Jaemin and pulled his brows together in confusion, tilting his head to the side slightly. “I told you my hot boyfriend would keep me warm.” Jaemin giggled before pulling Jeno in even tighter, flopping his arms graciously over Jeno's shoulders and picking at the short grass behind them. The latter rubbed soothing circles on Jaemin's back in response, and ran his nose of the shell of his ear. He grazed over the small piercing lightly, remembering when Jaemin had begged him to come watch him get one done. He started off fine enough. He sat next to where Nana was lay on the big medical chair and held his hand carefully. It wasn't until the needle was pushed through Jaemin's helix that he almost passed. He left the thought with a shiver, and buried into Jaemin more, before pulling his coat further up his neck and pulling the long sides around the both of them. They were the most comfortable they’d been all night. No loud noises or rickety rides, just each other, alone, with a beautiful view to look out on. 

“Look Jeno! They starting now!” Jaemin had half turned in his lap, gazing across the field to where the rockets had all been lined up. A tall man walked up to them, struck a match, and set them off. 

The first bang of the night made Jeno’s skin jump a little bit, before settling down and enjoying the rest. Each rocket pushed into the air, cascading into walls of shiny specs with patterns woven into them crafted carefully. 

The sparks rained down vibrantly against the deep dark backdrop of the sky; mingling with the stars before floating towards them and fizzling out on the stone cold ground. Jeno turned his head to admire more then just the fireworks. In Jaemin's eyes, Jeno could see how each burst of light coloured his iris’ and swam around his pupil in a spectrum of glitter and gold. A lump formed in his throat. He never expected to find someone he loved so much so easily, but he would do anything for Na Jaemin. Even freeze in a cold field for the entire night. Anything to make him happier. 

Jaemin turned to him after noticing his stare, and kissed him softly on the lips, brushing their noses together before pulling away. The cold hands had definitely been worth it. He wouldn’t forget this night for the rest of his life. All his emotions towards Jaemin had resurfaced. It left him choked up with just how much he cared for the boy. 

All the best moments in his life had been with Na Jaemin, and this night was going to be added to the list.

It left him wondering where they’d go next, for how long, and what they’d experience together.

Jeno didn’t know what the future had planned, but tonight he had Jaemin in his arms, fireworks dancing above them and he knew he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if there was any mistakes + all feedback is welcome! Just be nice~


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